Israel’s Gorbenko settles for 7th at Worlds

Gorbenko, who reached the final with the fourth-fastest semifinal time, clocked 2:10.26 in the final but faded over the last 100 meters.

Israeli swimming star Anastasia Gorbenko finished in seventh place on Monday in the women’s 200-meter individual medley final at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore, falling short of the podium in a highly competitive race.

Gorbenko, who had advanced to the final with the fourth-fastest time in the semifinals (2:09.16), clocked 2:10.26 in the final, unable to maintain her early pace as she faded over the final 100 meters.

Despite showing promise in the opening legs – where she hovered between fourth and fifth – Gorbenko couldn’t keep up with the leaders in the back half of the race. The gold went to Canada’s Summer McIntosh, the reigning Olympic champion in the event from Paris 2024, who dominated the field and touched the wall in 2:06.69. American Alex Walsh took silver (2:08.58), and Canadian Marie-Sophie Harvey claimed bronze (2:09.15).

The result marked a frustrating end to Gorbenko’s main event at these championships. The 21-year-old, a four-time European champion and former world silver medalist in the 400-meter individual medley, is still working her way back to peak form after a long break following the 2024 Olympics. In recent months, she also began studying at a US college, which has shifted her training rhythm.

A tough meet

Earlier in the competition, Gorbenko also competed in the 100-meter breaststroke but failed to advance past the heats, finishing 24th overall in 1:07.34.

Overall, it was a tough meet for the Israeli delegation: Alexei Glibinskiy (200m freestyle), Inbar Danziger (100m breaststroke), and Aviv Barzilai (100m backstroke) all missed out on the semifinals, with none breaking into the top 20.

Though the results in Singapore didn’t reflect her full potential, Gorbenko remains one of Israel’s brightest Olympic hopes in the pool. With a full training season ahead and lessons learned from the post-Olympic adjustment period, she’ll look to bounce back stronger in upcoming competitions.